Rose
by MuffinMartians
Summary: A Joker Origin Story - "Brother, you're insane. I like it!" The Joker was never fully 'there' to be honest but it took something big to push him over the edge. And falling over an edge helped too. Contains strong language, violence and disturbing imagery.
1. Chapter 1

**Rose**

_Chapter 1_

"Thank you for coming Mr Napier," The two adults shook hands and sat down. He sat down next to his father, staying as quiet as possible. "We are worried about Jack, Mr Napier," Jack. That was his name. He didn't like it. It was in-substantial, too short and too normal to be noticed. He liked to be noticed but only when it suited him. "He is a bright student but he doesn't seem to be reaching his full potential," This did not suit him. "He seems distracted and distant," Why had his father been called in for this? He hadn't screamed in class or kicked any of the teachers. "He doesn't have many friends in his year," It must have taken all of the teacher's effort not to say 'any' instead of 'many'. "He doesn't work well with others," Those 'others' are idiots. Weak idiots. "But the main reason we have called you in Mr Napier," Here's the climax. "Your son seems to be making friends with less than reputable characters," Ah, that's why his father had been called in, because of the gang. His school was obviously scared of what the nasty teenagers could do. This made him want to laugh but he didn't, it didn't seem appropriate. "We feel that Jack could be being lead astray by the older students," That was laughable, he was the one doing the leading.

"Thank you for telling me all of this Mrs Whitecross," His father finally spoke. Was that it? Would they let him get away with brushing them off so easily?

"We are just concerned about Jack, Mr Napier," Why has she been saying 'we' all of the time? Maybe she's schizophrenic.

"I will address your concerns with my son. I must be going now," His father stood up, shook hands with Mrs Whitecross and walked out of the classroom. Jack followed, glancing back at his teacher who looked slightly confused.

Once outside the school his father stopped and turned around to face him. "Don't come home for at least an hour," He then turned away and kept walking. This suited Jack fine. Jack turned and walked away in the opposite direction to his father.

* * *

"Ah, brother, leader, you grace us with your presence!" The girl sitting on one of the branches of their tree greeted him. She sat on one of the higher branches, almost hidden from view.

"Nice to see you too, sister," Rose. That was her name. She didn't like it, he secretly did. He believed it was the one their parents got right. He climbed up to his branch of the tree, the one that could look easily at the other branches that his gang used. He didn't like the word gang, it's almost friendly sounding. Their tree was nestled among other trees, deep in the forest that no one came into. This made their tree perfect.

There were five others from the gang sitting in the tree. None of the gang members used their real names. He knew this was because they joined to escape, names just tie you down. He was just Boss or Leader to them. Three of the five were more important members. The first of the three was Dope, an almost un-naturally tall eighteen year old with pale blue eyes that gave him the look of someone who was high, hence the name. The second was Light, an ugly sixteen year old with a nose that looked like it had been broken ten times and probably had, Jack didn't think it was important enough to ask. He gained his nickname because he liked fire, he liked to burn things with the lighter he always carried. The third was lanky and slightly greasy looking, he was named Orange because of his ginger hair. He was quite new to the gang. Jack didn't know how old he was, he looked around seventeen. The two un-important members were named Rock and Boulder, mainly so Jack could remember them but he supposed they were quite thick set. They were just for ground work, couldn't be trusted with anything important.

"What was I saying? Oh yes," his sister spoke again. "He likes to think he is so tough but he started crying when they told us the class hamster died. A big, tough guy bawling his eyes out! It was hilarious!" she laughed her long, high pitched laugh. Jack smiled, he liked to hear her laugh. He looked at his gang. Light was smiling, entranced by her tales as usual, Dope smiled dreamily though that was possibly his only expression. Orange was smirking. Orange was sitting closer to his sister than he would have liked but then again, she always said that she liked his hair. "On that topic, I got you a present brother. Well I suppose it's more a present for Fluffy and his fluffles," she grinned and dug around in her pocket. She produced a dead hamster and presented it to him with a dramatic bow.

"Thank you sister, I'll make sure that Fluffy and his fluffles get it," He rested it on another branch.

"I think it was called Lawrence, stupid name for a hamster if you ask me. Which they did, but the majority vote won. Anyway, that boy I was talking about, I think he likes me! He gave me a flower, which would be sweet if it weren't so pathetic. I wasn't sure what to do with it, I don't care about him but the flower was very pretty. I kept it through the day but when I was walking home I passed that lamppost with all the flowers on it, the ones dedicated to that girl who was squashed by a car. I tucked it in with them and some women said 'Bless you' so I said 'But I didn't sneeze!'" she laughed again and this time he and his gang joined in. She would always tell long, rambling stories like this, which was why the gang liked her so much. He had tried to keep her away from the gang at first, he didn't want her to get hurt. She had persisted and eventually she became an honorary member. She didn't help with their little jobs but she came to the meetings. She even had a gang name, she was The Joker. The 'The' was very important to her for some reason, but only when she was being introduced, otherwise 'Joker' would suffice. She was The Joker because of her stories, her laugh and her jokes, terrible as they were.

"I don't blame the boy for liking you Joker," Orange spoke, still smirking. Jack noticed again how close to her Orange was sitting.

"I know, I'm adorable," she laughed again, putting her hands in her pockets nonchalantly.

"You are. I would fuck you," Jack tensed. All the gang other members of the gang looked at each other then at Jack. Orange sat up, with that smirk still plastered on his face. "We could go now," he put his hands on her branch, one at each side of her. "What do you say?"

Jack sprang at Orange. He straddled him, using his legs to clamp the other boy's legs to the tree branch. He pinned both of Orange's hands against the tree trunk with one hand and held a knife to his throat with the other. The boy beneath him trembled and closed his eyes, trying not to look at the knife. This just annoyed Jack.

"Look at me," It didn't open its eyes, "LOOK AT ME!" Jack shouted in its face. The scum's eyes snapped open, filled with fear but focused on Jack. "Good boy. Now I might give you a second chance because you're new and ginger and I've always liked ginger. Normally, I'd kill first," he pushed the blade up just slightly and the scum whimpered, "and ask questions later for that kind of... comment, but you get another chance! Just because I like you. Aren't you lucky?" he paused, looking imploringly at the scum. "Well?" he said sharply, slamming the scum's hands against the tree trunk again, making an effort to graze them against the rough bark.

"Yes!" It cried, it's now tear filled eyes still staring into Jack's.

"Good boy. Now what do we say when we're sorry?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry Joker,"

"Accepted," Rose said casually, seemingly un-fazed by what was going on. She had taken her Swiss army knife out of her pocket and was stroking the flat edge of the short blade with her thumb. He had wondered why she had put her hands in her pockets. He had given her that when she started coming to the meetings.

"As for your...urges, we men know what to do about that," He took the hand that he had been using to hold the scum's hands to the tree trunk and pretended to caress down its body, keeping his hand an inch away from it. Its arms hung limp at its sides, its fear filled face now had traces of confusion in it. He hovered his hand over the scum's crotch, pausing for just a moment, then he grabbed one of the scum's limp hands and shoved it down its trousers. He moved back onto his branch, slipping the knife back into its place. The scum was still how Jack had left him just seconds ago, still with a hand down its trousers. All was silent for a moment, then Rose laughed, the other gang members joining in soon after. Jack smiled and ran his tongue over his lips. His mouth was quite dry, he'd have to get some water when they went home.

"Maybe we should call you Pedo now," she giggled. That was a good idea, he'd never really felt that Orange was a good name anyway. Pedo fitted much better.

"Perfect! All in favour?" Jack smiled around at the gang. All the gang members raised their hands. Pedo took his hand out of his trousers and raised it too. Good man. "It's a unanimous decision, notion carried. Orange is now Pedo," Rose laughed again.

* * *

A/N: My first attempt at fanfiction that isn't Harry Potter related. I hope you enjoyed this, if you have the time to leave a review then please do so. It'll make me happy...unless it's a flame, but then I'll probably laugh about it later with the other MuffinMartians. Anyway, thank you for reading! There's more to come.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Batman franchise or the Joker. I think they belong to DC and Warner Bros.


	2. Chapter 2

**Rose**

**Warning: This chapter contains disturbing imagery and scenes of violence**

_Chapter 2_

The meeting had finished quickly because there was nothing important to discuss or deal with. Some little kids had started hanging around at the edge of the forest so Jack had told Light to take Rock and Boulder to go intimidate them. Light could think of some way to scare them and Rock and Boulder could follow his orders, it was a simple system. Jack then told Dope to wait with his sister while he went to visit Fluffy. That was why he was making his way deep into the forest, following a path he knew well through repetition, a dead hamster in his pocket. He kept at least a foot away from the Edge, as he called it, when he passed by it. The Edge was a large, almost vertical drop that was made when a group of large rocks were taken out of the ground for construction. The people who were taking the rocks had under-estimated how large they were and now there was just giant hole where they never bothered to fill in. The steep edge of the hole was what he now called the Edge. Jack never took Rose this way, you'd die if you fell down the Edge.

He climbed into the cluster of trees that were packed tightly together, strangely leaving a small circle of bare grass in the middle of them. The small patch of grass was where Fluffy lived. Well, died. He smiled at Fluffy and his fluffles, placing the dead hamster in the pile with all the other remains of small rodents that he'd collected over time. He'd found Fluffy quite a while ago now, he didn't know how long the cat had been there or how long it had been dead. He had been fascinated by its wide staring eyes and limp form. He had walked over to it and dropped to his knees to examine it more closely. Flies buzzed around it, which made him wonder. He had sliced into it with one of his knives, causing a putrid smell and answering his question. Maggots. Eating away at the dead tissue and becoming the flies that buzzed around the carcass. His sister had named the cat Fluffy, he didn't like the name at first but it stuck. He had decided to call the maggots the fluffles. It made sense. Fluffy used to still have his eyes but his fluffles had eaten them a long time ago. Fluffy was now just a mass of bones and maggot infested rotting flesh, barely recognisable as a cat. He brought small animals, birds and mice mainly, for the maggots to eat but also as gifts for Fluffy. Jack thought he would appreciate them since he used to be a cat.

* * *

"Is the first aid kit ready and waiting?" Rose asked as she and Jack walked up to the front door of their house. She would have sounded like she was joking to anyone but Jack. He could hear the nervous tinge in her voice. Her usual smile faded as she reached for the door handle.

"All ready up in the attic." He knelt down beside her and put her face in his hands. "We'll be okay. He's probably had a whore so he'll be content in that respect. Now," He grinned "Let's put a smile on that face," He jerked his thumbs into the corners of her mouth and pulled up. She giggled, distortedly because of his thumbs. He took them out and stood up, wiping her spit off using his school jumper. Her giggles had become her normal high-pitched laughter and Jack smiled. He liked to cheer her up.

"You better not have touched any of the fluffles with those thumbs,"

"Of course not! I did stroke Fluffy though,"

"Eww!"

This was good, father was normally less angry when they seemed happy. The worst thing is to appear scared. Jack opened the door and entered the house, Rose on his heels. He coughed when the foul stench of tobacco smoke hit him. Urg, fucking cheap whores always smoked in the house. Speaking of whores, one walked down the stairs at that moment, lit cigarette poking out the side of her mouth. Jack kept a smile plastered on his face, seeing the exact moment she noticed them. She looked confused, especially by his creepy smile.

"You didn't tell me you had kids," she had stopped in her tracks on the stairs.

"You've been paid," Their father's voice came from somewhere upstairs. She looked annoyed and continued walking down the stairs and towards the door, pausing when she got to the doorway.

"Quite the ass of a dad you got there," she muttered.

"The more he fucks you the less he fucks us," Jack muttered back, still smiling. She looked shocked then pity flooded her face. She squeezed Rose's shoulder as she left. Rose closed the door behind her. She rubbed her shoulder on Jack's arm.

"Ha ha, now you have whore germs too," She giggled, then added more seriously, "We probably shouldn't lie to them like that, they might get a social worker on us,"

"Probably," Jack could tell that his short answer had made Rose suspicious but he didn't have time to dwell on this.

"Get in the living room," Father. He was standing at the top of the stairs. Shit. Living room was bad. Jack and Rose went into the living room, their smiles still plastered on their faces. They had had enough practise in keeping their expressions. Their father followed close behind. He stood a foot from them when they stood in the centre of the room. He looked at each of them, muttering in-coherently under his breath. "Who shall it be today?" he muttered at last, breath stinking of alcohol. Jack pushed Rose back and stood forward, dropping the stupid grin from his face and baring his teeth like an animal. "Jack it is then. Keep watching Rosie, you could learn from this," He grabbed Jack by the hair and slammed him face first into the wall. As pain erupted up the right side of his face Jack was surprised his nose didn't break. "If you try to fight back Jackie-boy you know the rules," He knew the fucking rules alright. His father yanked him away from the wall, still by the hair. He punched him in the mouth, making him stumble back and taste blood. Going for the head today, it seems. Or not. Jack's legs were kicked from under him so he fell to his knees then a foot collided heavily with his stomach, winding him. He clutched his stomach and tried to regain his breath. His father sneered at him then slapped Rose hard on the left cheek. Fucking bastard rule breaking... "Should have watched more closely Rosie," He calmly walked away and Jack heard the front door open and close. Asshole's going to the pub, hope he drinks himself to death. Or gets stabbed on the way. Either will do. Jack saw Rose kneel in front of him and inspect his face for damage, her own cheek a vibrant red.

"Split lip, bruising forming on the right side of your face and a black eye there too. Attic, now,"

* * *

The attic was their safe haven. Their father didn't know about it and the only entrance was through a small hole in the ceiling of their bedroom, which they covered with a map of the world poster. Here was where they escaped to after every beating. They kept medical supplies up here. Jack hissed as the iodine hit his lip. He took his shirt off to inspect his stomach, a large bruise was already forming. He put an ice pack on the right side of his face and passed another ice pack to Rose, who put it on her left cheek. He picked up a toy and brandished it at Rose.

"Brother, I don't need it,"

"Enjoy your childhood while you can,"

"Your childhood is hardly over," she scoffed but she took the toy and hugged it. It was a clown doll that he had gotten her for her fourth birthday. It was a bit bedraggled and one of its eyes was missing but he knew she still liked it. He moved the ice-pack from his face to his stomach, flinching as the cold hit his bare skin. She took her ice-pack off her face and put it on his. He smiled.

* * *

A/N: A bit shorter than last time but I thought this was a nice place to end. Thank you to my lovely reviewer from the last chapter Koschei966 and to my fellow MuffinMartians and various other friends for beta-ing this chapter and the other. Finally, thanks to you for reading, hope you enjoyed this.


	3. Chapter 3

**Rose**

_Chapter 3_

"Brother?" He could hear Rose's voice above him. He had lain on the floor of the attic with one ice-pack on his stomach and the other on his face and had closed his eyes. He opened his left eye, his right currently covered by an intense cold. "Ah, you are awake. Just checking," she trailed off. Jack knew she had something on her mind. It's a brother thing.

"And what else did you want?" he questioned, sitting up and using a hand to keep the ice-pack in place.

"Nothing," she replied, smiling falsely. He raised an eyebrow and she dropped the false expression. "Okay, okay. I was just thinking... well, neither of us gives short answers to anything," she looked down at her clown toy that she was still holding protectively against her chest. Jack tensed, he knew she was talking about earlier. She continued "When I said that we shouldn't lie to that whore you gave a one word reply. It was unusual to say the least, so it made me wonder," she paused, getting up and picking a worn blanket off the floor, placing it on his bare shoulders. He had been getting cold now that he thought about it. She sat down beside him, still clutching the clown and lent her head on his shoulder. "You can tell me anything, I can handle it. You said we should tell each other everything so we never have to carry anything on our own," He had said that years ago when she had came home from school crying. A girl had been picking on her and calling her names. This made him furious but he had restrained himself. He only killed her dog. She hadn't wanted to tell him at first so that was when the deal was made. They would tell each other anything if the other asked. Jack sighed. This was about the only thing that he hadn't told her. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"He almost raped me back when you were two, mom came home and he stopped before he did anything," he recounted this quickly, trying to keep his voice steady and emotionless, " It was humiliating," he murmured darkly then returned to his steady voice, " but I would have never chose the other option,"

"Other option?"

"You know the rules," he muttered again, watching as Rose's fists clenched. She stood up, dropping her clown toy, walked to the other end of the attic and started kicking the wall, muttering and pulling at her hair.

"He's a fucking bastard!" she shouted as she kicked the wall. "A sick, fucking bastard!"

"You'll hurt your foot," He warned, standing up, letting the ice-packs fall to the floor, in case he needed to stop her severely hurting herself in her rage. She twirled round to face him. Her face was red and contorted in anger.

"You were seven!"

"I know," he started walking towards her.

"He already had his stupid, fucking rules!" tears ran down her cheeks. She fell to her knees and beat the floor with her fists. He knelt in front of her and took hold of her wrists. She looked up at him with tear filled eyes and whispered "You or me,"

"That's the rule," he muttered, pulling her close to hold her while she sobbed.

* * *

Dope met them by the edge of the forest, handing them their masks. They must have work to do. Normally Jack wouldn't let Rose come with them on their jobs but he didn't have time to make other arrangements. Hopefully they wouldn't have to do anything too strenuous.

"One of those kids was causing Light some trouble so he brought him in. The normal place, bound as usual,"

"You couldn't deal with a couple of little kids?" Jack growled, fixing the mask over his face as they walked in the forest.

"Light said that he didn't like his attitude,"

"We shouldn't be bringing in crap just because we don't like them. I can't afford to kill them, it'd lead straight back to us," He was surrounded by idiots. Couldn't he order them to do something simple without them screwing it up and making a mess? Fucking idiots! Dope stayed silent, putting his mask on. Jack checked that Rose had put her mask on then they entered the normal place. This was where they always brought the people they needed him to deal with. It was thick with vegetation, muffling sound and obscuring them from view. Light, Pedo and Rock and Boulder were already there and wearing their masks. The masks were a find of Jacks from a circus that had passed through a few years back. The man selling them had been so pleased when he and Rose bought them. No one else had and he couldn't blame them. The masks were grotesque caricatures of clown faces, most of them looked angry rather than laughing. They were perfect. He looked at the small figure on the ground. It lay on its side, its hands were tied to its feet, blind folded and gagged. They couldn't deal with this tiny thing? It was pathetic, making muffled squeaking noises whenever a twig crunched under foot. Pathetic. He kicked it hard to roll it over, causing it to squeak again. Annoying sound.

"Tie it up-right and get me a mouse," murmured Jack. No one moved. "WELL?" he snapped, dragging the thing at his feet up by the hair and shoving it towards Pedo. They all stumbled into action. Pedo and Rock and Boulder tied the thing to a tree so its feet dangled limply above the ground. It was small. Light was scrabbling in the under growth looking for a mouse. Rose had positioned herself in a high tree branch, perfect for watching what was going on but good for hiding if something went wrong. Jack smiled beneath the mask, waggling his fingers at her in a mock wave. She returned the gesture. Light presented him with a wriggling mouse which he motioned for Light to keep ready for him. He walked up to the small thing tied to the tree. He got out a reasonably sized knife and cut away the blindfold and gag. The small eyes fixed on the blade, then on its surroundings and then on Jack's masked face. It whimpered. They could probably let it go now and it wouldn't ever venture outside at night again. Then again, what would be the fun in that? "And I thought I was ugly," His gang laughed cruelly at that pathetic jibe. "Now, little boy, you may have guessed that I'm at the top of this little... organisation. You're actually quite unlucky to see me, normally the people who are brought here, well they never come back! You might be going back, it all depends," He put the knife at the things throat, watching its eyes bug out and sweat start to form on its temple. He was starting to enjoy this and get back his normal demeanour.

"Yep, you get a chance to live! I honestly would like to kill you but it would seem a little suspicious, your friend would squeal and they would be after my men. That wouldn't be good. So, let's make a deal, shall we?" He paused. It said nothing, wide eyes still fixed on the mask. "Ah, you see, you're supposed to answer that. I'll repeat myself, just once though, I don't have all day. So, let's make a deal shall we?" He paused again. Its mouth opened and a tiny squeak came out, sounding a little like a 'yes'. "I'll assume that was a yes. Now, the deal is that you don't tell anyone about this little meeting and you get to live. It's that simple. Do you agree with the deal?" He stroked its cheeks with the knife, not cutting into its face but always suggesting he would. This would be much easier if it could see his face. You can intimidate much better when they can see your expressions. Maybe he could figure out a way of keeping disguised without the mask. He'd work on it later. The thing nodded. "Ah, good. Now, I hear that you were giving my men trouble. I can't let you walk away without some form of punishment," It drew a haggard breathe and shut its eyes. "Open your eyes or I will hurt you," Jack growled. Its eyes snapped open. He put on some disposable gloves, he wouldn't want to get his hands dirty. He took the mouse from Light, holding it by the tail and dangling it in front of the thing's face. "This is a mouse," he balanced it upside down on his palm and sliced into its stomach, "And now it's a dead mouse," he stuck a finger into the mouse's wound then drew two lines on the cheeks of the thing's face with the blood. "Remember the deal," He dropped the mouse on the ground, removed his gloves and took a tissue from his pocket. His spat on the tissue and wiped the blood off the thing's face. He wasn't stupid enough the leave evidence on his victims face. "Return it to where ever you got it from," Pedo and Rock and Boulder re-blind folded it and carried it off into the forest. It was very compliant. "See?" he turned to Light, "Was that so hard?"

"Sorry Boss," said Light, taking off his mask. Jack just sighed and took off his own mask, running a hand through his hair.

"Brother," Rose had come down from the tree, "You're insane," she took off her mask revealing a wide, slightly malicious, grin, "I like it!"

* * *

A/N: Hmm, this chapter feels quite short even though it's actually longer than the last one. Weird. Anyway, thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it, please leave a review if you have the time and remember there's at least three more chapters to come. I actually have a little plan for this story. Things are going to get much worse for Jack from here on out, this chapter is almost pure fluff in comparison. Stay tuned readers.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Joker or the Batman brand. They belong to DC comics and Warner Bros. Studios.


	4. Chapter 4

**Rose**

**Warning: This chapter contains scenes of violence.**

_Chapter 4_

Rose had loved the idea. She had even come with him to buy the supplies. This is why he now stood staring at his reflection in the mirror, small pots of cheap Halloween make-up sitting in the sink in front of him. He looked very ordinary and plain with his mousey brown hair and white school shirt. Not a good color choice for his line of work but he hadn't had the chance to change. He and Rose looked quite alike, they had the same hair, albeit different lengths and the same facial features. They both looked like their mom. He hadn't thought about her in a while. She'd died... six years ago? Was that it? Yes, that sounded about right. She had been nice enough to them, taught them how to tend to their wounds. Never lifted a finger to help but then again, she knew the rules. He mixed a small amount of water with the white face paint. 'Clown white'. How appropriate. He smeared it over his face with his fingers, then took the black and colored around his eyes. He finally took the red and put it on his lips. He certainly didn't look ordinary anymore. He looked like a deranged clown. Perfect.

"What the fuck are you doing?" His father stood at the bathroom door. Jack hadn't expected him to be back so soon. He silently hoped that Rose was in the attic or just anywhere but in the house. Please let her be safe because he was dead, fucking dead. His father's face was contorted in rage. "You fucking little faggot," he grabbed Jack's arm hard enough to bruise and held him still while he threw the make-up out of the sink, pushed the plug into place and turned the tap on. When the sink was full he grabbed Jack's head and pushed him into the water. He tried to struggle but that earned him a knee in the stomach, right on top of his bruise from earlier that day. Not good when you're slowly drowning. His father pulled him up, fingers twisted into his wet hair, standing behind him so he had a better hold. "Freak!" he spat, pushing Jack back into the water. The water was a murky grey from the make-up which was slowly coming off his face. He felt a few strands of hair break as he was wrenched up again. He gasped and spluttered, his eyes stinging, wet hair sticking to his face and his lungs desperate for oxygen.

He was dragged out of the bathroom, down the stairs and into the living room. Oh fuck no. "Rose!" shouted their father. No. Rose came into the front room, mouth dropping open as she saw Jack. No, no fuck no. "I have to teach your freak of a brother a lesson," Just hit him, just hit him, please don't go near her, please don't touch her. A fist collided with his face, then with his stomach and then every inch of his body. He dropped to the floor, collapsing under the pain and shutting his eyes. He felt his father kick him in his side. Soon he'd black-out, maybe he wouldn't wake-up. That'd be good, never having to feel this pain again. No, he had to remember Rose. Rose. He felt no more blows and opened his eyes. He saw his father staring at Rose, confusion on his face. She looked angry, teeth bared but Jack could see fear in her eyes. Fuck no she didn't...

"You broke the rules Rosie," their father's expression turned from confusion to glee. "You know what that means," he gave Jack one last kick before rounding on Rose, grabbing her by the throat and lifting her off the ground. Jack tried to get up but his body wouldn't work. He saw the hand tighten, heard Rose gagging as she failed to draw breath. Their father laughed, "Since you and Jack are always smiling, why don't we make it permanent?" He drew a knife from his pocket. No, no, no, NO! Jack desperately tried to force his beaten body to get up but he could only watch as their father put the knife in her mouth and pushed upwards. The knife sliced through her face, so much blood, her body going limp. He dropped her, she fell to the ground like a ragdoll. No.

"No," Jack stared at her body. No. His father was gone and he heard the front door slam. Jack managed to scramble to his feet, something pushing away the pain, something that was much worse. He knelt beside her. "Sister?" Her eyes were shut. "Rose!" He waited for her to snap at him for calling her by her name, she never liked it but he secretly did. Her eyes remained shut. The blood was still pouring from her face. If he could fix it then she'd be okay.

"I'm coming back sister, don't worry, I'll be right back," he stumbled to his feet and dragged himself into the kitchen, flinging open the cupboards and ransacking their contents until he found what he was looking for. He ran back to her. She hadn't moved. He fell to his knees by her side and wiped at her face gently with the cloth, trying to remove at least some of the blood that just kept coming. He hoped this wouldn't hurt her, he hoped she wouldn't be in pain when she woke up. If she woke up. NO! He threaded the needle, this taking several attempts with his shaking hands. Every second he wasted was a second she lost. He pushed the needle into her skin and began to stitch. He noticed the blood flow slowed, could this mean it was working? Or that she had lost too much blood already. He hit the side of his head with his palm. Stop thinking and just get this right.

He finished. The blood had stopped coming but he knew he was too late. He had been too late when he had started. She was gone. Dead. He cradled her body in his arms, his eyes stung. He lifted her body, so light, so limp and carried her up to the attic. It was their safe-haven. He piled up the blankets and laid her on them. She'd be happy here, safe here. Happiness, safety... the two things she never got when she was alive. He picked up her battered, old clown toy and placed it beside her. "Ever since you were six, you would always pull a face when I gave this to you, insisting you didn't need it or that you were too old for toys. You always took it in the end though," He smiled at her, he knew she would need it now and she couldn't really protest. Tears finally leaked from his eyes as he sat beside her. "I'm going to take your example, sister," he spoke shakily "You broke the rules. The rules needed to be broken. I'm going to destroy the rules. What have I got to lose? You were the only thing that I... actually cared about," he gulped, his vision blurring "I'll make him pay for everything he's done to us," he ran his finger gently over the stitches on her face. "You'll be safe here." Jack brushed the hair away from her face and softly kissed her forehead. He got up and left the attic, not looking back as he couldn't bear to. He looked around the house until he found what he was looking for. This would do nicely. He stood by the door. Waiting.

He had no idea how long he stood there, weapon at the ready, before the door opened. He caught the surprised look on his father's face before he swung the bat and smiled as he heard a sickening crack.

* * *

A/N: Writing this upset me a little. This chapter is the shortest so far but it has everything it needs to have in it. Thank you to my lovely reviewers Koschei966 (twice! I love you) and totallywired (from chapter two but I think I fogot to mention them last chapter for which I sincerely apologise). Thank you for reading, please leave a review if you have the time. Oh and don't think that Jack's father is going to get off that easily.


	5. Chapter 5

**Rose**

**Warning: This chapter contains scenes of violence and disturbing imagery.**

_Chapter 5_

The bastard's still breathing. Good. Jack dragged his bleeding, un-conscious father across the hallway, kicking the basement door open when he reached it. He dragged him slowly down the steps, making sure to cause damage but not enough to kill. He pushed him to the wall and clamped the shackles to his feet, locking them with a small gold key. This was where no one could here you shout. Jack had been locked to this very wall when he was five with his crying baby sister so that his parents could go out without the neighbours hearing them and worrying. His father had installed the shackles into the basement to use as a punishment. Now it was Jack's turn. First he had something to do. This would have to wait. He left the basement and went into the kitchen, grabbing some food and a bucket then returning to the basement and putting them beside his father. That would keep him alive while Jack got prepared.

Jack stood staring into the mirror, clutching the edge of the sink in front of him with one hand, the other holding a sharp knife. He looked terrible, he was covered in bruises and cuts, his clothes and hands were caked in blood and his face was set into a dark scowl, accented by the smears of leftover make-up that still clung stubbornly to his face despite everything they had been subjected to. He took a deep breath and tightened his grip on the knife in his hand, bringing it slowly to his face. He closed his eyes and saw her face again. He opened his eyes, placed the blade in his mouth and sliced up, mirroring the cuts in his mind. Now he had to hurry. He quickly grabbed the pre-threaded needle and stitched. Now Rose wouldn't be alone, now he was scarred too. He was drenched in blood. He turned the tap on and watched the blood and water mix. He felt weak. He slowly dropped to the floor and slept.

* * *

Jack waited. He made sure that he could move his face without splitting his stitches. He was ready. Well, almost. He ate a piece of bread and a tomato. Now he was ready. He threw open the basement door, flipping the light switch as he walked down the stairs. It didn't help much, the light was dim and just cast the room in eerie shadows. Perfect. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs, taking in his father's appearance. The man was bedraggled, tired-looking, covered in grime and blood. He looked at Jack, horror stricken. Ah, yes, the scars and copious amounts of blood.

"Pleased to see me?" Jack asked pleasantly, grinning and feeling his new scars stretch.

"Let me go," his father rasped, the horror still etched on his face. Jack laughed.

"That was pathetic. Aren't you at least going to try?" He got up and approached his father, now fully in arms reach. "Go on," His father lurched forward. He easily side-stepped this clumsy move. His father lay splayed on the floor, arms out stretched in front of him. "That was your last chance," Jack laughed as he pulled the iron bar out of his belt, brought it up above his head and smashed it down onto his father's arms. He revelled in the sharp shout of pain, in the sight of crushed bones jutting out from broken skin. New spatters of blood added to the collection on his clothes and face. He raised the bar again, this time breaking his father's legs, leaving him completely defenceless. Jack leaned his broken father against the wall and put his face close to the face of the man who had beaten him, tortured him and took the one thing he cared about away from him in such a vicious way. "The rules are broken." he whispered, looking into those eyes which had suddenly lost the malice they had possessed for all of Jack's life. His father was still breathing, barely but just enough to live. Jack took out his knife and paused to take one last look at his father's face. Such an expression, pain, anger and maybe even fear. So many more emotions than his usual victims. He jammed the knife into his father's mouth and sliced up slowly, taking his time to savour the moment. He sat back to watch the blood pour and the face whiten. Now he was dead. Very dead in fact. Jack left the basement, went into the bathroom and grabbed the needle, thread and make-up. He returned to the basement, humming tunelessly and started stitching up the corpse's face and applying the face paint the same way he had earlier to his own face. The effect was pleasingly macabre but still not enough. He left the basement yet again and this time he went into the kitchen. Why didn't he put his father in the living room or just somewhere where he would have had less walking to do? This should be his last trip for supplies anyway. He riffled through the kitchen drawers for anything sharp or pointy. After he had found some nice knives, a metal thing with two sharp prongs that was possibly called a barbeque skewer, a cork screw and, his personal favourite, a small cleaver he returned to the basement. He dumped his new tools on the grimy floor and set to work decimating the corpse. He didn't use the skewer or the cork screw but the knives and cleaver worked well. He could have painted the walls with all this blood. Could he be bothered to clean all this up? Not really.

Now what? What was he going to do? Rose was dead, the reason he lived was gone. He'd had his revenge, he'd murdered his father in a fitting way. Now what? Without Rose, what was the point? He definitely couldn't go back to his miserable dirge of a life, his family were dead and he was horrifically scarred. People would ask questions. His life didn't matter anymore, he had failed to protect Rose and then he'd avenged her. That was it. All he had to do. Nothing more. No other reason to suffer. He knew what to do.

* * *

The night air was intoxicating. Much better than the stink of rotting flesh and the coppery tang of blood. It hadn't been a long walk, he knew where he was going. The forest had almost been like a home to him, Rose had loved it here. She loved climbing trees, being out in the open air, being free. He liked the freedom of the place too but his favourite thing about the forest was the security of being hidden amongst the dense trees. You could hide here and no-one would find you. He thought momentarily about visiting their tree but decided not to bother. It would take too long, he had no idea what time it was and he needed to do this tonight. Almost there. He did wonder what they would think if they found him but he didn't really care. What did it matter? He reached his final destination and stared down the Edge. Now, how to do this. He decided just to go with what he had always envisioned would happen one day. He walked quickly along the edge, building up speed until he put one foot out of place. He fell. He tumbled. He crumpled.

Jack was no more.

* * *

A/N: This story is not quite finished yet, I always have to try and end things on a big note. A bang, if you will. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed! Thank you to my lovely reviewer Koschei966, thank you for thanking me for thanking you ;) You know what would be nice readers? Reviews! I like to know that the people behind the little hits really exist. Until next time x


	6. Chapter 6

**Rose**

**This chapter strangely doesn't contain violence. Isn't that a nice change? Lots of swearing though.**

_Chapter 6_

"What the fucking hell happened?"

"How the fuck should I know? We just dragged him out of that huge fucking hole!"

"Dope's second in command right? We'll just wait for him, he'll know what to do,"

Who are these fuckers and why are they talking so loudly? Why does everything hurt so much? Where is he? He heard footsteps approaching.

"Have you found him?"

"It might be him, look!" The footsteps came closer then stopped. Then the footsteps turned away and he heard what sounded like vomiting. "So much for him knowing what to do," muttered one of the voices.

"What the fucking hell!" he assumed this was the person who had just thrown up.

"We found him in that hole. We think he's dead,"

"He looks dead,"

"Have you checked his pulse?" A silence followed. "You haven't checked his fucking pulse? Or if he was fucking breathing? You're fucking useless!" These people swear a lot. He felt someone kneel beside him. Enough of the silent act.

"Touch me and I'll kill you," he sounded like he had swallowed gravel. He heard whoever was kneeling beside him jump back. With difficulty, he finally opened his eyes. He saw that he was propped up against a tree in a... what are those places with lots of plants called again? He saw that there were four people standing around him and one kneeling beside him. Weird, only three people had spoken. They all stared at him with shock and badly concealed fear. The one who knelt beside him broke the silence.

"Boss?" So he was these people's boss? He could work with that. "What... what happened to you?" Good question. He had no idea.

"You found me at the bottom of a hole and you expect me to remember how?" he growled. The people surrounding him exchanged glances.

"Do you know who you are?" the kneeling one asked. Another good question, this was why this person was his 'second in command'. He had weird eyes, he felt like there was something he should know from those eyes. Oh, yes, he'd asked a question.

"I know I can hurt you," More glances were exchanged, this time more nervously.

"You're our boss," the ginger one spoke. This had been the second person he had heard speak. Ginger... again he felt like he should know something but he couldn't quite remember what. It was an irritating feeling. "Boss, you look a bit... hurt," He looked down at himself. Doing so made his neck twinge and crack but he could see what ginger meant. His clothes were ripped and he was covered in mud and blood. A lot of blood. This can't all be his.

"Can you move?" the kneeling person with the weird eyes asked. He tried to lift his left arm. Nothing. He successfully moved his right without too much pain. His legs worked but moving them made him feel like thousands of pins were being jammed into his lower body. He sat up slightly, wincing at the sharp shot of pain this caused. Now he could look at his left arm. Dislocated. Damn.

"You," he stared at weird eyes "Do you know how to relocate bones?" Weird eyes nodded. "Go on then," he let weird eyes do what he needed to, hissing when the joint was forced back into place. He wiggled his fingers. "Good work. So what do we do?"

"We deal with what needs to be dealt with," Ominous. This was spoken by the first voice he had heard. Wait he think he knew this one.

"Light," he muttered. The people around him all looked surprised "Well? Is that right?"

"Yes, I'm Light,"

"Good. Now, I have an idea. What place do I hate most of all?" They all stared at him, he sighed. "That wasn't a rhetorical question," He tapped his head. Ouch, that hurt "Memory loss, remember?" There was a moment of silence and then weird eyes spoke.

"School?"

"Hmm, school. School... annoying teachers, filled with idiots and a waste of my time. Certainly not a place I like, it'll do," He stared at weird eyes for a second, something clicking into place. "Eyes that make you look stupid and stoned, drugs and stupidity... Dope," Weird eyes nodded. "Anyone got a pen?" the ginger one fumbled in his pockets, pulled out a pen and stepped forward nervously. "Haven't got all day," he held his hand out and ginger quickly stumbled towards him and placed the pen in his palm. "Thank you..." he squinted at ginger and suddenly remembered "Pedo," He took a pocketknife out of his muddy pants and cut off two relatively clean pieces of his shirt. He wrote a list of what he needed now on one piece of shirt then a list of instructions for his idea on another piece. "You two, the ones who haven't spoke. Take this list," he handed them the first list he had wrote. It was the less important one "and get me the stuff that's on it. I don't care how. You, Dope," he turned his attention to Dope, who was still kneeling beside him. He felt uncomfortably close. "Know anywhere where I can wash this blood off?"

"My apartment is just around the corner,"

"That'll do. Light, Pedo, take this," he handed the second list to Light. "And follow the instructions. Everyone meet at Dope's apartment in..." what was longer than a minute but shorted than a day?

"An hour?" suggested Dope.

"Yes! An hour. Go," The group split, leaving only him and Dope. He slowly pushed himself up, using the tree he had been propped against for support. His legs really disliked being made to work, trying to collapse underneath him.

"Can I help Boss?" Dope asked tentatively.

"Well, since I'm not going anywhere otherwise, fine," He swung an arm around Dope's shoulders and let him support his weight. They staggered out of the forest.

* * *

Washing the mud and blood off had felt good but when he was clean he could see that he was covered in cuts and bruises. He got quite a shock when he looked in the mirror and saw the scars across his face. He could feel them on the inside of his mouth but seeing them was different. It gave him that feeling again, the feeling that he should know something. He pushed it to the back of his mind, grabbed a towel, fastened it around his waist and exited the bathroom. The bathroom was connected to the living room. Dope was sitting on a couch in the middle of the room, looking bored and staring at the clock on the table.

"Has it been an hour yet?" Dope jumped, noticing him suddenly. He stared wide-eyed for a moment then shook his head and answered.

"It's been about fifty minutes," Damn he'd have to wait around for his idiot henchmen to get back. "Boss?" Dope looked nervous "Do you know what your name is?" More interrogation from this guy.

"Nope," he replied, smiling at Dope and feeling his scars stretch satisfyingly "Should I start thinking of a new one?"

"Yes Boss, good idea Boss," Suck up. There was a knock at the door.

"It's open," called Dope. The door opened and in stepped the two henchmen he had given the less important list. They were carrying a large cardboard box between them and once they were inside they placed it in front of the couch. One of them gave him back his list. He dropped to his knees and opened the box, quickly checking through it to make sure that everything he had asked for was there. It was.

"Good work and you're early," He stood up and grabbed the box "Excuse me," he dragged it into the bathroom and shut the door behind him. First he pulled out the clothes, a shirt, pants, gloves, a trench coat and strangely a waist coat and tie. He made a quick mental note that sending henchmen for clothes led to weird outfits. He liked it though, especially the trench coat which had lots of pockets, perfect for storing knives and other weapons. Or nail clippers. Whatever he needed. Next he pulled the face paint out of the box and dumped it into the sink. He had vaguely remembered doing this once and decided that it would be appropriate for his new image. He added water to the white and covered his face in it, then he took the black and placed it around his eyes and finally he smeared the red across his lips. He looked at himself and an idea struck. He got more of the red face paint and slid it up his scars, making a twisted, red smile across his face. He laughed at the sight. Perfect. He crept out of the bathroom so that Dope and the other two didn't notice. "Miss me?" he smiled, leaning against the bathroom door frame. They all jumped. Jittery bunch. When they looked at him they jumped again. He laughed, walked into the room and perched on an arm of the couch. "How long has it been now?"

"A...an hour and five minutes," Dope stuttered, looking flustered.

"Well, they are doing something important," There was another knock on the door. "Come in," he called. Light and Pedo entered the apartment. Pedo was holding some keys and a duffel bag.

"All set boss," Pedo jingled the keys.

"It better be. Let's go," He got off the arm of the couch and made his way out of the apartment, the others following his lead. As always.

* * *

"Boss?" Dope looked at him. They were sitting in the back of the van, surrounded with the main supplies his idea required. He sighed and turned to Dope.

"What?" he snapped irritably.

"I... just err..." He glared at Dope, hoping he could see even in the reduced light. "Your s... the Joker, where?"

"That didn't make any sense," A light switched on in his mind "But I like the Joker as a name. What do you think?" He grinned at Dope and Dope's eyes somehow grew wider.

"It's good boss. Suits you,"

The Joker laughed, embracing his new title.

* * *

A/N: You know the problem with only being able to write at night? It leads to a horrible lack of sleep and eventually the inability to write because of tiredness. I was trying to get this done yesterday but I just couldn't, so sorry that it wasn't up earlier. I'm writing this at quarter to two in the morning. It's the weekend now so i'll hopefully have more writing time. Even if I do have German coursework to do, I will finish this. I promise. Now that I've rambled for a bit, thank you for reading! Please review, I become very happy when I get reviews. On that note, thank you to my regular reviewer Koshei966, your reviews make me smile even when I have german, history, physics and maths homework to do. That's quite a feat. Until next time x


	7. Chapter 7

**Rose**

**Warning: This chapter contains scenes of violence.**

_Chapter 7_

The Joker stepped out of the van and took a deep breath of the night air. Refreshing. His henchmen jumped out behind him and he turned to face them.

"Here we are!" he said cheerfully, throwing his arms out dramatically. "Back at the old school," he grabbed the duffel bag off Pedo, "All of you except Light, start unloading the barrels. Light, follow me," He lead Light to the janitor's supply hut and opened the duffel bag. "You can pick locks, right?" Light nodded, immediately getting what he needed from the bag and starting to pick the lock. The Joker watched closely, committing the process to memory in case he needed it. When Light was finished, he pushed the door open and the Joker went inside. He had never understood why the janitor needed a hut. He found what he needed immediately. This was ridiculously easy. Why hadn't he done this years ago? He took the set of spare keys from their hook then looked around for anything interesting. He spotted a hat and a shovel. He shoved the hat on his head and grabbed the shovel. He walked out of the hut, whistling and twirling the keys on his fingers.

"Nice hat Boss,"

"Thank you. Which of these keys do you think would lock the hut?" the Joker gave him the keys. Light examined the keys then took one and tried it in the door. It worked. It didn't look like anyone had been here. Perfect. "Now, which one of these keys would open the school?"

"I'd have to see the lock,"

"You go do that. Back door. I'll check on the others," the Joker watched Light go towards the back of the school then turned to return to his henchmen. They had unloaded all the barrels and the canister and had placed them on carts so they could be taken from one place to another more easily. "Take them around the back. Light should have unlocked the door by now," They each grabbed a cart or two and pulled them towards the back of the school. They were all so obedient. Like dogs. He giggled at the thought then followed them. Light was standing by the open doors. Once they were all gathered, the Joker spoke. "Anyone want to suggest where we will put these?" he laughed. That sentence sounded so wrong.

"The janitor's room?" Dope suggested.

"Correct! Let's go," he walked into the school, his henchmen on his tail pushing the heavy carts. When they were all inside he locked the door behind them. The janitor's room was found through an old, oak door located in the corridor beside the principal's office. It was like a basement, there was a set of stairs that led down to a small room containing only a chair and a few books. The Joker reached the corridor, stood outside the door and then turned to Light. "Open the door," He moved to the side to let Light look at the door and pick out a key. When the door was open, he flicked the light switch and gestured for his henchmen to take the carts into the room. He hoped they wouldn't have too much trouble with the stairs. "Light, take the two keys you used to open the school and open this door off the set of keys," Light picked out two keys out and placed them into the Joker's outstretched palm. "Good. Now check on the others," Light turned around to look into the room and the Joker smashed him in the back of the head with the shovel, enjoying the satisfying clang. He shouldn't be dead, just out cold. Hopefully. He lent his shovel against the wall and looked through the door to check on his henchmen. They had been distracted by the noise. They all stared at him. "What are you looking at? Get back to work," They all looked away quickly and returned to their work, moving the carts around so they could all fit in the small room. The Joker took a moment to look at the neat rows of barrels his henchmen had set up, then grabbed the un-conscious Light and dragged him down the stairs, dumping him in the middle of the room so he was surrounded by the barrels. He turned the knob on the canister all the way. This gas should provide a nice fuel air mixture. "Viola! Let's go," His henchmen ascended the stairs, only Pedo taking a small glance back at Light as he left. The Joker went last, flicking off the light as he went and locking the door behind him.

"Hey, what are you kids doing here?" The janitor stood at the end of the corridor.

"Causing havoc of course," the Joker laughed. The janitor stormed down the corridor.

"This is trespassing! I should call the police!" The Joker sighed. He hadn't planned on killing anymore than necessary. Oh well, he would have died anyway.

"Grab him," The two henchmen who weren't Dope or Pedo grabbed the janitor. The Joker kicked him in the stomach then picked up his shovel and smashed yet another person in the head. He took some masking tape out of the duffel bag and wrapped it around the janitor's mouth. They finally left the school, bringing the un-conscious janitor with them. The Joker locked the door behind him. "Back to the forest,"

* * *

He had just stabbed the janitor in the chest and got two henchmen to dump him in a deep ditch in the forest. The janitor wasn't important enough to warrant a more creative death. He now sat in a tree in the forest which Dope told him they always had their meetings in. Pedo sat on one of the lower branches and the Joker sat on a higher branch with Dope beside him. Dope felt too close again and he was staring at the Joker with those weird eyes of his. He felt a bit un-comfortable being stared at by creepy eyes. Dope was taking this second in command thing a bit too far. Suddenly one of the two henchmen he had sent to dump the body came running toward their tree, looking white-faced.

"He... he fell! Into the ditch where were throwing the janitor! He just... slipped," This was the first time the Joker had heard the henchman speak.

"How deep was the ditch?" The Joker took this opportunity to get off the branch and away from Dope.

"Very,"

"He's probably dead then. Was he a relative?" The Joker didn't really care, he was just curious. The henchman nodded. They had looked quite alike.

"My brother. He was the only family I had left," The Joker still didn't care. "I... can't do this anymore," Okay, now he did care.

"What?" he grabbed the front of the henchman's shirt.

"I can't do this! Killing people... their families will feel like me. I can't do that to others. I just can't!" The Joker pulled out his knife and slit the henchman's throat. He let go of his shirt and watched him fall to the ground. He turned back to the tree. Dope was smiling at him in a creepy way and Pedo looked horrified. His face was white as he attempted to scramble off the tree. He landed shakily on his feet and attempted to run. Dope jumped off the tree and ran after him, tackling him and catching him. He dragged him back to the tree, kicking and screaming the whole way. Dope pulled him to his feet in front of the Joker and held him so he couldn't move.

"I don't want to die! Please don't kill me. I'll do anything, please! Please don't kill me!" Tears streamed down his white face as he begged. Begging is really annoying.

"You know Pedo," The Joker wiped the blood off his knife with his sleeve, "For some unknown reason, I don't like you," He brought the knife to Pedo's throat. Pedo struggled against Dope but he was held fast. He began to sob.

"P...Please don't... please," The Joker jammed the knife into Pedo's throat. That would shut him up. Dope let go and watched Pedo's body crumple at his feet. People revealed so much about themselves when they were about to die. Pedo had been a coward, willing to beg for his life. Funny but pathetic. He knew what he had to do next. He stepped over Pedo and rammed Dope against the tree trunk. The Joker stood on Dope's feet and held his hands above his head with the hand that wasn't holding the knife. He brought the knife to Dope's neck.

"Wait! Joker, please," The Joker was slightly surprised, this was the first time one of his henchmen hadn't called him Boss. "Don't kill me. Let me join you. Scar me. Give me the scars which you have. Then I'll know what it's like," The Joker was interested.

"What what is like?"

"Whoever gave you those scars was a sick bastard. Let me share your pain. Scar me too," This person was insane. Interesting.

"Why would you do that?"

"Joker... I love you," The Joker broke his hold on Dope and jumped away from him. "I've always liked you but only since you changed, became the Joker, did I fall for you. Please scar me so I can feel your pain," Dope stepped toward him. The Joker hit Dope as hard as he could and he fell to the ground. He still kept talking "We'll be the same. We can run away together. Scar me. I love you." The Joker knelt down and grasped Dope's neck in his knife-free hand. He squeezed and heard Dope choking, his hands limply grasping at The Joker's grip on his throat.

"I'll scar you," He brought the knife to Dope's mouth, pushed the blade in and sliced up, copying the scars he had seen on his own face earlier. When Dope had the smile shaped cuts in his face, the Joker dropped the knife and placed both hands around his throat, choking the life out of him. Dope died quickly, helped along by the blood loss from the cuts. The Joker's gloves were covered in blood. Great. Now he had three bodies to deal with too. Oh fuck it. He decided to just leave the knife, shovel and janitor's hat by the tree along with the bodies. He picked up the duffel bag and walked away. There was no way he was sticking around here. He needed to go somewhere where he could see the show.

* * *

The explosion was glorious. The fire, the sound, the rumbling of the earth beneath his feet. Truly wonderful. He knew Light couldn't resist flicking his lighter on, causing all that gas and oil around him to blow up, taking the school and a good proportion of the surrounding area out with it. He wasn't sure if it was going to work but it had and the chaos was brilliant. He could hear the screaming even from the hill he was standing on. He was leaving this place behind. He needed to find somewhere he could hide until he wanted to be noticed. Somewhere big, a city perhaps. Somewhere where the people were easy to manipulate. A big, crime riddled city would do nicely. Now he just had to find one.

* * *

It hadn't been difficult to attract the Bat's attention. A few helpless hostages and he had flown straight into the trap. The Joker laughed as he walked towards the beat up, chained Batman.

"You make this too easy Batsy," Batman lurched forward, stopped by the chains. He growled and glared at the Joker.

"What do you want Joker?"

"Just the pleasure of your conversation. Seen any good movies lately?" Batman remained silent and continued to glare at him. The Joker sighed. "If you won't talk, I'll just tell you a little story. Do you want to know how I got these scars?"

"No," The Joker just laughed and continued. He always said no.

"I used to have a family you know. A mommy, a daddy and a sweet little sister called Rose..."

* * *

A/N: The End. Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed Rose - A Joker Origin Story. Thank you to my regular reviewer Koschei966, your reviews encouraged me to keep going until the end. Thank you to my fellow Muffin Martians and friends for beta-ing. Please leave a review, this is the end and your last chance to tell me what you think. Have a pleasant day and sweet dreams x

Muffin Martian Eleri

Disclaimer: I don't own Batman, the Joker or anything recognisable in this story. I think they belong to DC and Warner Bros. Studios.


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